Northeastern State University professor Dr. Amy Aldridge Sanford and a group of current and former NSU students attended the convention of the Central States Communication Association in Cincinnati from April 14-18.

CSCA's convention is an opportunity for the presentation of research. The NSU contingent presented on 10 panels and Dr. Sanford was nominated to be a member-at-large on the executive committee.

"Within CSCA there are many interest groups," Sanford said. "The students competitively submit their research to these groups for assessment, and everything NSU submitted this year was accepted. That's never happened for us before."

One of NSU's group was Jessica Remer of Okmulgee.

"At these conferences, we're able to have conversations with those interested in similar topics," Remer said. "We're able to network and find information about other schools if we plan to pursue another degree. As a panelist, you get 8-15 minutes to make a presentation on a research topic that was selected for the panel. Your presentation includes history, methodology, the type of research performed and your findings."

NSU students attending included Dylan Mederios of Muldrow and the only undergraduate, Jennifer Martin of Broken Arrow, Sarah Turner and Gene Sanford of Tahlequah, Sarah Stephens of Locust Grove and Remer. Northeastern alumni from other graduate schools were Kyle Rudick, of Tahlequah and now at West Virginia State, Kathryn Golsan of Claremore and Kent State and Ryan Cannonie of Tahlequah and the University of Tulsa.

"They're a dynamic group of students," Sanford said. "They conducted themselves wonderfully, whether they were in the convention, on the panels or walking around the city. They made me really proud."